Mounting Abu Dhabi travelers mean higher hotel rentals

Increasing passenger numbers at Abu Dhabi International Airport are translating into improving occupancy rates at the capital’s hotels.

Mounting Abu Dhabi travelers mean higher hotel rentals

In May 2014, passenger traffic at the airport climbed by a record 27.4% even as hotel tenancy in the city climbed by 8% from a year ago to reach 78%.

Some 1.63 million travelers passed through the airport in May 2014 compared with 1.28 million in the past year, airport data showed.

Meanwhile, during the first five months of 2014, approximately 1.43 million tourists stayed in the emirate’s hotels, assessing a 30% growth compared to the same period last year. From the period of January to May 2014, guests count translated into 4.37 million hotel nights, up 22 % annual, figures from the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority showed.

The hotel industry’s revenue increased 14% to Dh2.67 billion, with food and beverage income up 12% annual to more than Dh1 billion.

Manila was the most popular route in May, enhanced by an expansion in Philippine Airlines’ operations. Then Doha because of growth in Etihad flights to Qatar, followed by Bangkok, London and Mumbai – on the back of Etihad and Jet Airways’ double daily flights to India’s financial capital. Etihad owns a 24% share in Jet.